City Museum and Art Gallery

The Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery is a large museum and art gallery in Bristol, England. It owes its early origin to the efforts of a German refugee, Johann Samuel Miller [formerly Müller], [John Samuel] (1779-1830), who came to Britain as a refugee from Dansig after Napoleon invaded. He settled in Bristol where, he was appointed in 1823 as the first curator of the Bristol Institution. His entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography tells us that he collected many natural history specimens, published papers on a wide range of natural history topics and 'as unstinting in the service of the Bristol Institution' which became a precursor of the present day museum.

Museum and Art Gallery was a gift, in 1904, to the people of Bristol from philanthropist and tobacco tycoon Sir William H Wills (brother of Henry Overton Wills III).  The imposing frontage complete was intended as a statement of civic pride to compete with other major cities such as Birmingham and Manchester and was estimated to have cost of £40,000.  It was further extended to the rear in the 1930s at an additional cost of £98,337 19s 2d.

The museum includes sections on natural history, local, national and international archaeology and local industries. The art gallery contains works from all periods, including many by internationally famous artists, as well a collection of modern paintings of Bristol.

Click here for a direct link to the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery site.